My life began in Forest Lake, a small town
in the Minnesota. My father, a Catholic, taught classical
guitar, and it was thanks to him that I was
brought up in the Faith. My mother, a Methodist,
worked as a night receptionist in the emergency room of
a hospital. She always gave us a great example
of love and courage, as she would get up
after having slept only a few hours, so as to
take care of my brother and me when we
arrived from school.

The Faith
in My Family

God’s plan for
my family started to show itself with greater clarity
when my father made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. After
he came back, he began to pray the Rosary and
go to Mass every day at a parish close
to his workplace. In the morning, we would see
him in his room on his knees praying before his
bed. My mother was impressed by this change, since
he not only prayed but also started to spend
more time with the family. I think that the joy
my father showed in living the Faith was essential
for the change that was about to take place in
our family.

God’s grace shined first
of all on my mother, who became Catholic two years
later. My brother, Jason, after entering a prayer group
next decided to take a trip to Medjugorje. When
he returned, he sat the family down and told us
he wanted to become a priest. That same summer
he attended a Test Your Call retreat with the
Legionaries of Christ and decided to enter the seminary. Last
of all, God touched my life when I went
to visit my brother at the seminary. I had felt
the call to become a priest a few years
before, but as I arrived the call became stronger.
I was impressed by the charity and prayer, as well
as all of the fun activities during my time
there. Nonetheless, I resisted and decided to go back
home to be with my friends and leave the “vocation
thing” for later, since I was only fourteen.

Why Me?

God was

not satisfied with my decision. When the Lord calls,
he does not waver before difficulties. I filled my
life with activities, such as sports, debates, and parties.
My friends and I played in a basketball league on
Sunday afternoons. During one of the games we were
losing, and so, trying to remedy the situation, I
faked and then went up to shoot. My defender, who
had jumped earlier, came down, and his elbow hit
me right in the nose. I fell to the ground,
bleeding all over. As I got up I was
surprised to see how my friends continued to play
on another court. “Why me? Why does this have to
happen to me? Why does God have to call
me?” The questions seemed to flood into my mind. My
father took me to the hospital, where the doctor
said that I had a double fracture and would
have to have an operation.

A couple
of days later, I found myself on the hospital
bed with the nurses giving me anesthesia. My mother
was at my side, and I felt the urgency to
tell her what was going on inside. I chose
the moment when the nurses were gone, turned my
head, and said, “Mom, I am called to be a
priest with the Legionaries of Christ, and I want
to follow my vocation.” “Alright, alright, be calm,” came
her reply. “We will talk about this after the operation
when you are feeling better.” The nurses quickly appeared
to bring me out for the operation. Afterwards, when
they brought me back, they were laughing as they told
my mom about the “crazy things” I had said.
“Those drugs really had an effect on him, ma’am. The
whole operation he was saying, ‘I have a vocation.
I want to be a priest.’”

The
next day at breakfast my mom asked me, with
a curious look on her face, “Do you remember
what you said before you went in for the operation?”
I looked confidently into her eyes and said, “Yes,
Mom, I am called to be a priest. I want
to follow my vocation.” She understood then that it
was no bout of craziness. I started to go
to Eucharistic adoration a half an hour a week after
school at my home parish, St. Peter. I also
started to pray the Rosary every day. This helped me
to mature in my answer to God’s call and
to have the strength to follow it.

The next year, I entered the high-school seminary, and one
year later, the novitiate. Now, looking back fifteen years
later, I cannot help but reflect on the merciful
love and patience that God has showed towards me. He
has always been with me every step along the
way. Only the fire of his love was capable of
burning the ropes that held me fast to my
own will, so as to later make me fully
happy following him. In the midst of the Cross, and
when temptations assail me, I strive to remember to
lift up my head, look him in the eyes and
remember his loving call, this call that says “Come
and follow me.”

FR AARON MICHAEL
SMITH was born in Forest Lake, Minnesota, on October
11, 1978. He entered the Legionaries of Christ high-school
seminary, then located in Cheshire, Connecticut, in 1995, one
year after his brother, Fr Jason Smith, LC. He spent
his two years of novitiate in Germany, and his
year of humanities studies in Salamanca, Spain. For five
years, he did youth work in Chile, and he obtained
a licentiate in philosophy and a bachelors degree in
theology from the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum College in Rome.
He is currently studying for a licentiate in theology,
and does youth work in Florence, Italy.

The vocation stories of the Legionaries
of Christ who were ordained in 2010 have been published
in the book "From the Heart of Christ."